Cosmic enthusiasts in North America should be gearing up for a rare event for the first time in three years.
As reported by iflscience, on Thursday, March 13, 2025 the moon will be turning blood red, marking a stellar event that occurs once every two and half years.
The ominous colour is the result of a total lunar eclipse, where the the earth block out most of the sunlight reaching the moon as it comes between the sun and the moon.
Unlike solar eclipse that only last few seconds, lunar eclipse is expected to last up to an hour.
Related: Total Lunar Eclipse 2025: Date, time and how to watch?
Why colour Red
The moon takes the colour blood red due to phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, according to which, when the sunlight hits the atmosphere, light in the blue spectrum is scattered more efficiently than red lights by particles within it.
As less blue light hit your eyes, you will perceive the sun as tinted slightly yellow.
The more atmosphere the light has to travel through, the more blue light gets scattered, making the sun appear yellow or red.
During the lunar eclipse, the only light that falls on the moon is light that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere.
As blue light is more easily scattered, while red light takes more direct route, the moon would take the blood colour.
Visibility of Blood Moon
People observing lunar eclipse would not need any special equipment to view the astronomical occurrence.
Dr. Renee Weber, Chief scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntville, Alabama noted in a statement, "That totality will last for close to a hour, so even if it' cloudy you may still be able to glimpse it if the clouds are scattered."
The eclipse will be viewable from North and South America, and some part of it will be visible for European and African sky-watchers.
Related: Saturn’s iconic rings set to vanish this month in rare cosmic event
For people in Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe, who want to witness a total lunar eclipse, they would have to wait till September 7, 2025.
